Bunkers... where we were supposed to find a bunker was what seemed the remains of two regular houses, one with a basement. But a hundred meters away we found an almost intact Soviet bunker.
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October 2017, Rauniotalo, Sonnimäki, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Rauniotalo ja kellari, Sonnimäki, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Bunkkeri 1, Sonnimäki, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Ruins, Vehicles); Caving (Man-Made)
There's just a little bit of warning tape, but most of it is gone. And one danger sign in a tree, visible from one direction only. The bunker is gone though, or hiding underground, with no easy way to enter. Just some holes in the ground that one needs to be careful of not stepping into.
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October 2017, Killinmäen bunkkeri, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made)
It is getting dark very early in Finland, so today I stopped to see a possible bunker in Majvik on the way to the office. I found a bunker with clear entrances go inside, as well as a small roof cave on a cliff near the bunker.
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October 2017, Majvikin bunkkeri, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Majvikin pieni lippaluola, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers); Caving (Man-Made); Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Basic, Surveying)
Project! Having done the survey work last year for Korkberget, the massive cave (in Finnish class, at least), this fall I've been trying to visit other underground places in Kirkkonummi. And I have now visited and surveyed all nine known/reachable caves in Kirkkonummi. There's three more but they are either on military area, their location is not known, or they have collapsed.
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(TGR version)
October 2017, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Caving (Surveying, Research)
How can one work somewhere for 25 years, and NEVER visit a lake just a few hundred meters away? I really don't know, but in my defence I went there today. And found trenches and flooded bunkers.
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(TGR version)
October 2017, Jorvas bunkkeri 1, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Jorvas bunkkeritie, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Jorvas juoksuhauta, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Jorvas potero 1, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Jorvas potero 2, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Jorvas potero 3, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Jorvas potero 4, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Bunkers, Trenches); Caving (Man-Made); Hiking
Apparently, we like caving so much that we're willing to search forests in darkness, with headlamps, to look for caves.
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October 2017, Iso lippaluola, Kakarberget, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Pieni kulmaluola, Kakarberget, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Matala lippaluola, Kakarberget, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Basic, Surveying)
Nepperi is at the center of the big controversy: is the largest cave inside Ring III in Vantaa as currently believed, or perhaps in Espoo?
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(Suomenkielinen versio)
September 2017, Nepperin luola, Espoo, Finland; Nepperin kulmalippaluola, Espoo, Finland; Nepperin sivukololuola, Espoo, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Crack, Basic, Surveying)
In better daylight and with Jarmo's help we now found the quarry. I must have walked 20 meters from the quarry wall (a 10+ meter drop, btw) yesterday.
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September 2017, Österbackenin päälouhos, Vantaa, Finland; Juvanmalmin louhos, Espoo, Finland; Juvanmalmin tuhottu louhos, Espoo, Finland; Österbackenin mahdollinen historiallinen louhos, Vantaa, Finland
Urban-Exploration (Quarries); Caving (Man-Made)
Smocza Jama. Or Dragon's Den, an ancient cave. Despite the puffing, fire-breathing dragon, there's nothing to be afraid of, as long the dragon is fed enough cattle every week. Either cattle .... or equivalent number of humans.
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(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)
August 2017, Smocza Jama, Krakow, Poland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic, Showtour)
A small announcement in the newspaper -- Mannerheim's bunker to open for visitors. Of course I had to go...
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August 2017, Tamminiemi, Helsinki, Finland
Caving (Man-Made); Urban-Exploration (Bunkers)
Janne and I are on a trip through California (and few other states). We dropped by the Crystal Cave at the Sequoia National Park.
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July 2017, Crystal Cave, Sequoia National Park, California, USA
Caving (Rock, Rock-Marble, Morphology-Karst, Basic, Showtour)
I had an opportunity for a brief visit to the Bozkovské Dolomitové Jeskynĕ or the Bozkov Dolomite caves. The cave system is 1060 meters long and hosts the largest underground lake in Czech Republic.
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(TGR version)
July 2017, Bozkov Dolomit Caves, Bozkov, Czech Republic
Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic, Showtour)
Cool. Got a certificate in the mail from the caving course earlier in the summer :-) and clearly they were focused on things that needed improvement on my side, like responsibility and safety.
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July 2017, House Arkko, Kauniainen, Finland
Caving (None)
This is the world's oldest and biggest hotel room. And it is 64 meters underground, in a cave in Arizona. Sadly, we did not have money to for the night (850 USD) but we did get a tour.
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(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)
July 2017, Grand Canyon Caverns, Arizona, USA
Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic, Showtour)
I was searching for a place to visit this Sunday... with pretty much the only requirement being that a teenager would be interested in going. We ended up going to Kasaberget in Kirkkonummi.
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June 2017, Abandoned warehouses, Strömsby, Kirkkonummi, Finland; Kasabergetin luola, Strömsby, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Caving (Rock, Rock-Granite, Morphology-Crack, Basic, Surveying); Urban-Exploration (Buildings, Ruins); History
This is an exceptional opportunity that only opens once a year. Janne and I are crawling in the cave, guided by friendly cavers from the Swedish Speleological Association. We get to see amazing things, from stalactites to "Inre Sjön", a small lake (or rather, a pool) a kilometer into the cave.
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(TGR version)
(Suomenkielinen versio)
June 2017, Lummelunda, Gotland, Sweden; Kanalen, Lummelunda, Gotland, Sweden; Bryet, Lummelunda, Gotland, Sweden; Galgbergsgrottan, Visby, Gotland, Sweden
Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic, Swimming, Boating); Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic, Digging); Caving (Rock, Rock-Limestone, Morphology-Karst, Basic); Swimming (Indoor, Underground, Water, Waterbody-Cave)